


Ave Qian Kun

by satiemyway



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Elemental Magic, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantastic, Fluff, M/M, Science Fiction, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, WINKUN, anticipate for the other princes lmao, as you can see i don't know how to tag at all, i was thinking a lot about Lord of the Rings, inspired by the yearbook concepts ahhhh, kingdom au, maybe im just a nerd whatever, maybe more ships as i go on, more characters will be added as i go on!, prince AU, royal au, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-06-14 04:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15380196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satiemyway/pseuds/satiemyway
Summary: Dong Sicheng is a prince that will take the crown and the responsibilities of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world’s history after his father. However, is this really what he wants? As he runs for his life and away from his duties he stumbles upon Qian Kun, who is such a powerful prince yet Sicheng has never heard of him before. As Sicheng explores Kun’s world which is similar to his own world at heart but also very different on the outside, will he figure out what he actually wants?





	1. Chapter 1

There are sounds of armoured men following him as Sicheng runs to the forest.

He has had enough.

His title and the responsibilities it brings are too much. All of the royal duties that were forced upon him by his parents all juggle up inside his head as he runs faster and faster.

He needs to calm down in his usual spot, the place where no one can see him and he can see no one. A place where he isn’t Prince Sicheng or “Your Highness”, but _just_ Sicheng. His heart desires so deeply to be in that place of privacy and intimacy, but he is being chased by his guards which makes it harder for him, if he goes directly to his secret spot it will be discovered and therefore, vanish.

The crown on his head falls down and hits the damp soil with a thud. Sicheng doesn’t notice.

The sound of metal hitting metal and several men yelling out his name become nearer, he takes a look back at the castle his ancestors once built one last time before he uses up all his strength to run.

He stumbles on a tree root and falls down, hitting his head in the process. His head doesn’t hurt, but the soil feels more comfortable than the world’s softest pillows, and his eyelids start to feel very heavy as he falls asleep. The last thing he feels is a soft hand on his cheek. 

 

* * *

 

He hears chattering. He doesn’t necessarily understand the words the people say, but he somehow senses that it’s about him.

He can feel the heat of the sunlight on his eyelids, he unconsciously scrunches up his eyes. This makes it known that he is awake to the people waiting next to him, Sicheng hears a gentle voice calling “I think he is awake now.”

He feels a firm hand on his shoulder, and that’s when he opens his eyes and takes in the scenery that’s both strange and familiar at the same time.

He gathers that he is in a hospital of some sort, because there are various beds next to him, filled with people that are missing a limb to people with chicken pox. Women dressed in nurse attire walk around with metal trays, carrying different equipment for different doctors.

The floor he is in looks like it came out of a fantasy book, with white marble decorations spreading from the walls to the high ceiling. As he looks up, he notices that there is no glass on the windows, instead they’re left empty so various tree branches can enter and hug the hospital from the inside.

The only strange object- or rather person- in this setting is the man waiting next to him. Sicheng takes a closer look as he sits up. He has light brown hair, almost covering his eyes. Sicheng doesn’t know how he manages to do it, but the man has a glow from within that captivates him immediately. It doesn’t take him long to notice the delicate crown made out of several different tree branchlets on top of the boy’s head. On the side, it reads: “Kun”

The man with the crown keeps looking at him as Sicheng takes in this different environment. Eventually, his patience comes to an end.

“Sir are you alright?”

Sir. This is a foreign title for Sicheng. He realizes that these people do not know who he is.

Sicheng likes that.

He gives the best smile he can and replies, “Yes, I’m perfectly in good shape.” Just then a sharpening pain hits the back of Sicheng’s head and he has the need to hold his head with his hands, or it will explode.

The groaning sounds coming from him worry the man even more, as he puts his hand behind Sicheng’s neck and helps the doctor to lay him down again. 

“You are clearly not.”

Sicheng chuckles as the crowned boy touches him. He can feel warmth rushing in from his fingertips. As Sicheng’s head hits the pillows once again, the brown haired boy gives him the prettiest smile he has ever seen and asks:

“May we have the pleasure of your name?”

Sicheng closes his eyes. He hates introductions. He sits up again as he starts to answer.

“I’m Dong Sicheng-“

He hesitates for a bit, should he say that he is a prince? Maybe he shouldn’t… But-

“Prince of Zhejiang.”

He regrets what he says immediately. Maybe it would have been better if they hadn’t known his status. Maybe-

Sicheng’s train of thought disappears as the boy’s soft hand reaches out to shake his, and the perfect smile he has seen before is back on the boy’s face again.

“It’s so nice to meet you, your Highness. I’m Qian Kun, Prince of the Forest. I’ve heard about your father’s work.”

Kun’s handshake is firm and polite. However, Sicheng doesn’t understand one particular thing.

“The Forest? As in, this forest only?”

Kun’s chuckle confirms that this question has been asked by a lot of intruders before.

“No, of all forests.”

Sicheng opens his mouth to unleash a chain of questions, however Kun stops him.

“Maybe we should take your Highness to the wash room and place you into a proper bedchamber and then we can converse in peace.”

Sicheng just nods in agreement as he hears a man two beds away from him vomiting into a bowl.

* * *

 

Once the valet Kun provided for Sicheng helps him wash up and gives him clothes that are much cleaner than his own, he escorts Sicheng to a dining room. The long, wooden table in the middle of the room is familiar to him, but the warmness this place has intrigues him.

Everything else in the room is also from wood. The fireplace, various statues that represented what seemed to be Kun’s ancestors… the atmosphere is much warmer than Sicheng’s dining hall which contains oil portraits of his great grandparents on stone cold walls.

Sicheng feels a pine leaf fall onto his head, which makes him look up and realize that the ceiling is not an ordinary ceiling, but one which is woven by hundreds of different tree branches and leaves with some of the greener branches hanging over the dining table.

He hears the loud thud of the door and the announcement one of the footmen makes as Kun arrives into the room.

The only sounds at the table come from the knives and forks as they eat supper. Whenever Sicheng wants to speak, he is blocked by trays of food the servants keep bringing in.

The meal ends in silence, and as Kun stands up from his seat Sicheng unconsciously stands up with him.

“Would you like to go for a late night stroll?” Kun asks, pointing at the unopened door on the other side of the room with his eyes.

Sicheng fears that he’ll be cut off again if he speaks, therefore he nods instead.

Kun walks towards the door, not even taking a single glance back to make sure that Sicheng is following him. He doesn’t have to.

This time, instead of a footman, Kun opens the door; as the door knob grows out like an ivy plant and hug’s Kun’s hand, almost uniting them.

Sicheng has questions as the door opens and Kun’s hand is released from the door. Is there a king or a queen? What does Prince of the Forest mean? Where is he exactly?

How much longer can he stay here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you can say that this is the introduction into a Fairytale AU I'm making with NCT ^-^ I'll add the ships and the characters as I go on; basically, I was fanboying too much about Lord of the Rings and then I watched NCT Yearbook videos and there you have it! My multi-chapter supernatural Prince AU with WinKun as the center! 
> 
> Comments/Feedback/Kudos are highly appreciated <3
> 
> Check out my [twitter](https://twitter.com/satiemyway) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/satiemyway) if you want to


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally wrote something after YEARS but anyways :P

The door opens into a long brick road that stretches out towards the deep ends of the forest. It is night time, yet the fireflies on the higher branches of the trees lit the area and enchant the atmosphere more.

As Sicheng stops to take in the scenery –like he has done a couple of times in the past hours- Kun walks away. Sicheng rushes after him to catch up, manages to touch Kun’s arm slightly to catch his attention.

“By Prince of the Forest, what do you mean? How can you be the prince of all forests when so many of them are already conquered by different kingdoms?” He blurts out. It’s too late to take it back when he realizes that he most probably offended Kun, who is weirdly chuckling at him.

Kun sighs as he looks up at the fireflies above.

“Before I can explain, can we stop being formal with each other, in front of public I mean, I could see that it bothered you when you had to call me ‘sir’ in front of the cooks.”

Sicheng just nods as Kun walks and explains at the same time.

“Humans think they understand everything, even though they haven’t even seen the tiniest bit of reality the world has to offer.”

Sicheng listens to the words that leave Kun’s lips, yet he isn’t sure if he understands them.

“Just because when you walk around aimlessly in a forest and don’t see anyone living on it doesn’t give you the ownership of the land. Humans are one of the weakest species with the biggest egos, which makes them very hard to deal with. After countless years of war and struggle between humans and other species, all of us just gave up and decided to hide from them, letting them play their little game.”

Sicheng suddenly stops walking. Kun takes this as a way of telling him that he had offended the currently crownless prince.

“Other species?” Sicheng asks while raising a brow. Kun mentally breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that the younger prince is just confused inside this world he has never been to.

Kun nods. “Yes. Most of the species look like you humans, but the abilities we possess are quite different. There are four kingdoms that control and guard various parts of our world. There is the Fire Kingdom, the Air Kingdom, the Water Kingdom, and of course-“

“We are in the Forest Kingdom.” Sicheng finishes Kun’s sentence, resulting in a satisfied smile on the older’s face, almost warming up the cold night’s air. 

“You did listen to me then” Kun chuckles and ruffles Sicheng’s hair for a slight second before he realizes what he is doing. This doesn’t sound prince-like at all.

“When will I get to see the king and the queen? As I have not had any glimpses of them since I came here.” Sicheng asks after walking deeper into the forest in complete silence.

Kun gestures towards the soft soil under their foot,

“Nature is the king and the queen in this place.”

Sicheng’s confused look is enough for Kun to understand that he needs to explain it further.

“I’m assuming that you’ll ask why I am not the king. The reason is that there is already a king reigning. I was birthed by the nature surrounding us, therefore nature is my mother and father at the same time. Nature rules all in this land, which makes me the prince. Nature is immortal, therefore I will never have an empty throne to reign in.”

Sicheng breathes heavily. All of this information is useful, but it is too much to take in one day. So far, this land seems completely isolated from the world he used to know, which is a good sign because he is in need of a place to hide away.

They continue to walk in silence, while Sicheng’s head is swimming in an ocean of thoughts.

“Kun?”

He widens his eyes as he hears his name. Sicheng never said his name before, and hearing him made him feel warmth in his chest. He decides to reply the same way.

“Yes, Sicheng?”

It is an unfamiliar occurrence to call another royal by his first name, even in private talks. Sicheng does not feel the strange though, Kun says his name so gently that Sicheng’s heart suddenly gets wings and tries to fly away from his chest.

“Am I allowed to reside here for some time?”

Kun suddenly leaves the brick path, walking into a darker place in the woods. Sicheng hesitates for a bit, but he follows along anyways.

“Of course you are,” Kun answers as he moves out some twigs with his hand along the way.

“Another prince’s opinions would be valuable to me during my duties anyways.” He continues as he lifts up a tall branch to let Sicheng walk through.

Sicheng opens his mouth to object to Kun’s idea, as he was running away from all of his royal responsibilities and duties in the first place. Suddenly he feels Kun’s arms wrap around him as he pulls him towards his chest, covering Sicheng’s head with his hands.

“What are you doing?!” Sicheng muffles out to Kun’s chest. Suddenly he hears a loud thud, signing that someone (or _something_ ) is here.

The sound scares Sicheng, forcing him to wrap his arms around Kun’s waist to protect himself from whatever has arrived.

He feels Kun’s clenched jaw on top of his head relax as Kun chuckles, “Oh, it’s you!”

A loud laughter that almost sounds like a screech fills the air. Sicheng thinks to himself, what kind of creature has a voice like this?

Kun turns him around, still holding Sicheng by the arms lightly, and he is met with a young boy with curly light brown hair and a big mischievous smile on his face.

“Chenle, this is Prince Sicheng from Zhejiang. He will be my guest for the next couple of days.”

Chenle kneels down in an exaggerated and sarcastic manner, his blue foulard dangles from his neck, making him look even younger than he already is.

“So honoured to meet you, your highness! I, Sir Zhong Chenle am ready to serve you as a loyal servant!”

Kun’s takes one of his hands off from Sicheng’s arms to lightly pat Chenle’s head.

“Since when did I give you knighthood silly??”

Chenle moves away and sticks his tongue out.

“Since now!”

Sicheng feels left out in this conversation, so he tries to shuffle out of Kun’s grip.

“I assume you two princes were busy before I came,” Chenle says while pointing at Kun’s hand still holding Sicheng’s arm in order to protect him from any upcoming danger. Chenle lets out a high pitched giggle.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, I assume you would want me to leave now, goodnight!”

Both princes widen their eyes as Kun quickly takes his hand away from Sicheng. Before they can say goodnight to the young boy, he is already running into the darkness.

Sicheng notices that when Chenle touches a tree bark, it suddenly grows a branch out of that spot.

“Have you seen what he had done?” Sicheng points out into the darkness.

“Oh Chenle, don’t mind him, he is a lovely young kid, just likes to play around a lot especially at night.” Kun then laughs softly as his foot plays with the small rock he noticed on the ground.

“I meant, _this_.” Sicheng walks towards one of the trees Chenle has touched and touches the twig coming out of it.

Kun smiles, his eyes turning into lines as he does so. “He grows up so fast, his growth spurt affects the plants as well. You should see what he does with the fruit trees.”

This answer doesn’t satisfy Sicheng. The more he learns the more he wants to know about this reality he has never been in before.

Kun waves his hand in front of Sicheng’s face.

“Sicheng? Were you going to say something?”

Sicheng realizes that he zoned out while thinking about anything and everything. He shakes his head quickly and nods.

“Yes, about being your guest here. I would appreciate it if you did not involve me in your business related to the kingdom.”

Kun’s face shows that he wasn’t expecting to hear this. “Why?”

Sicheng sighs, he feels the weight of his responsibilities and the trouble he has caused at home on his shoulders.

“I actually fell down while I was running away. That’s when you –or your men- found me. I did not want to be a part of, of _this_ anymore. I am so thankful that you opened your home to me and offered me a bed, but I cannot involve in your royal business.”

Kun grabs Sicheng’s wrist and turns him towards himself. “I understand that you do not want to help me, but I do not understand why you don’t want to do it? Is running a powerful kingdom not good enough? What more can you want?”

Sicheng thinks about this question for a second. He looks into Kun’s eyes as he speaks without thinking.

“I’m not sure, maybe love and appreciation that I never got to experience from my parents?”

Their eyes were already locked, but Sicheng can feel Kun’s eyes looking not just into his own eyes, but also his soul. Kun’s hand slowly makes his way from Sicheng’s wrist to his hand. All of a sudden Kun looks up and intertwines their hands at the same time. Sicheng doesn’t have time to react as Kun pulls Sicheng towards himself once again.

They stay like this for a few seconds before Kun quickly takes off his hand away.

“I thought I saw something.” Is his only response to Sicheng’s wordless question.

As they keep on walking deeper and deeper, a bird with bright flames for its wings slowly and gently follows them from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this chapter was more like exposition? I don't know about the next chapter hmm I have some more characters to introduce hehehe
> 
> Check out my [twitter](https://twitter.com/satiemyway) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/satiemyway) if you want to


	3. Intermission 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kun meets up with someone late at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Intermissions! Intermissions will happen once every few chapters, their main purpose is to introduce new characters, explore every character's relationship with one another, and give more information about the world(s) every character come from! From time to time there might be some elements that relate to the plot, but I don't think there will be important plot details/spoilers (for now).

It’s late at night. Kun is sitting on a rock, looking up at the sky.

This part of the forest is desolate, not even fireflies are here to light up the road. All he can trust to see are the stars above him, blinking to him like they are reassuring him.

Kun takes off the hood of his cloak once he sees a ball of light coming through the sky, as it gets closer it is obvious that this is a bird. However, this is not an ordinary bird.

It’s a phoenix. With its majestic wings carrying bright flames, it leaves a trail of light and heat as he flies closer and closer to where Kun is.

Phoenix lands on another rock close to the one Kun is currently sitting. It shakes its wings and head as small flames fly out. Suddenly the phoenix erupts, resulting in a huge ball of flame, and once the flame has died down; there is a man sitting there. He lifts his hand to comb through his red hair, as he does so the sheer black fabric his shirt is made out of catches the moonlight.

Both Kun and the red-haired man look up to the full moon. They smile at it fondly, thinking about the same thing.

“Taeil must have had a good day today.” Kun voices out both of their thoughts, to which the other man just nods.

Both of them just stay in the comfortable silence for a while. It is clear that this is not their first time meeting in secret like this.

“So, what do I owe the pleasure? It has been a while since you asked for me, dearest Forest Prince Qian Kun.” The nameless man asks, his demeanour and the way he mockingly presses his palms together shows that he is clearly making fun of Kun.

“Oh? Well, Prince of the Fire Kingdom, the _utmost_ powerful Lee Taeyong, I wanted to ask for a favour, however, I am afraid that I am not worthy enough to ask for such a treasure.” Kun plays along, but neither of the princes can hold in their laughter as they both start giggling like little children a few seconds later.

“I cannot believe how uncomfortable that made me, but it is true that I am the utmost powerful,” Taeyong says as he playfully punches Kun’s arm. He lies down on the rock, closes his eyes and asks,

“Is this about the human prince you found?”

Kun nods, and even though Taeyong’s eyes are closed, he can see the answer.

“I’m just worried about him, that’s all. I would appreciate it if you would watch him for a few nights after he has finally woken up.”

Taeyong’s eyes open, he looks directly at Kun’s worried eyes and just blinks to assure him that he will look after him for the next few nights.

“Thank you. So much.” Kun whispers as Taeyong sits up again.

“It’s what princes are here for, Kun.” Taeyong winks as he speaks.

Kun hears a faint “Goodnight” as the ball of flame reappears and Taeyong is back into his Phoenix form. He shakes off his wings and legs, and before he can depart Kun says,

“Oh, and please, don’t transform when he can see you. I don’t want him dead.”

Phoenix’s head moves up and down to ensure Kun that he understood, and he departs at high speed. Kun looks up at the sky one more time before he puts on his hood.

“Goodnight Taeil. Goodnight Lucas. Goodnight Taeyong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's welcome the new prince into the au! He is one of my favorite characters :3
> 
> Check out my [twitter](https://twitter.com/satiemyway) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/satiemyway) if you want to


	4. Chapter 3

Sicheng wakes up on an unfamiliar bed in an equally unfamiliar room. He looks around, his eyes still trying their very best to open fully. His hazy vision shows him wood furniture decorated with different coloured flowers and leaves, that’s when he remembers what happened and therefore, realizes that it wasn’t a dream and is all real.

He ruffles his hair as he remembers the conversation he had with Kun last night. He notices a few bumps on his arm that are desperate to be itched.

He keeps itching and itching, to the point where he can’t pay attention to the sounds in his own head. The bumps on his arm are getting bigger and redder as he keeps scratching them.

When he meets Kun at the great hall, the older prince widens his eyes the moment he sees Sicheng’s swollen arm and orders one of the servants to fetch someone named Doyoung. Kun then grabs Sicheng’s wrists and takes him (or rather, pulls him) back into the guest room Sicheng came from. He tells Sicheng to sit down, which he obeys, then stops for a minute; his cheeks getting a bit red,

“Undress.” He orders, trying to look directly at Sicheng, but failing.

Sicheng feels as if he has been left naked when he hears the word. His hands unconsciously cover his not yet bare torso.

“Why?”

Kun takes Sicheng’s wrist again, twisting his arm so both of them can see the red spots easily.

“You have got a rash from poison ivy, you need to take your garments off so the rash does not spread.”

Sicheng feels his cheeks heat up as if there’s an army of bees swarming inside his chest. He looks at the blisters on his arm, then looks at Kun, whose face that resembles a porcelain doll is now slightly pink.

He starts to unbutton his white shirt, when he is halfway done, realizes and asks,

“Aren’t you leaving the room?”

Kun wakes up from a trance when he hears Sicheng. He has been looking at Sicheng’s now almost bare torso more than both of them would like to.

“Oh, yes, sorry. I will be back in a second with the doctor.” He mumbles as he leaves the room, the wooden door closing behind him.

Kun leans against the door and sits on the floor, his hands cupping his face. The servants around look at each other, asking what to do in silence since they have never seen the Prince on the floor, even below their level before. Kun doesn’t pay attention.

What had happened back in that room? Kun, who has seen and experienced many poison ivy rashes in the past, could not control the way his rapid heartbeat when he saw Sicheng, a harmless clueless human prince, with reddish dots all over his arm. What caused him to rush back into the room with panic as if Sicheng caught the deadliest illness and not just some simple rash? The unprincely thoughts that had heated his cheeks when Sicheng was undressing come to his mind again as he is on the floor.

A pale soft hand touches his shoulder lightly, erasing all of his thoughts for a slight second.

“You asked for me?”

A young man with a checkered shirt and well-tailored black pants is kneeling next to Kun, his eyes looking directly into the prince’s. His hand gives comfort and reassurance to Kun, this man has been by his side for so long that both of them can understand each other by just looking.

“Sorry I was just caught in a thought storm.” Kun answers the man without waiting for a question to begin with. He waves his hand in between their faces as if he is cleaning the clouds full of Sicheng.

The man just rolls his eyes as he stands up along with Kun.

“Did something happened to you? Or is it about, your _guest_?”

Kun eyes him up and down and scrunches his face in disagreement as he hears the other pronounce the word “guest” so heavily that it creates an invisible fog inside the hall.

“No, Doyoung. I am perfectly in good shape. My guest just happened to get stung by poison ivy.”

They both stand up together as Doyoung pats Kun’s back while giving a reassuring smile.

“Oh that’s not terrible, I will handle it don’t worry. He is in there?” Doyoung asks as his eyes point to Sicheng’s door. Kun just nods and leads the way as Doyoung picks up his leather bag full of bottles with odd names written on them.

The sudden entrance Kun and Doyoung make startle Sicheng, who is now naked from the waist up and is playing with the ruffles on his shirt. He unconsciously covers his body with his arms, and he suddenly desires to be the size of an ant when he sees how Doyoung looks at him with furrowed brows.

As Doyoung places his bag onto the bedside table the glass bottles clink, one of them even falls off the bag but a branch suddenly moves and catches it mid-air, extending itself to Kun so the prince can have it. Kun takes the bottle as he mutters a soft “Thank you” to the table, and puts the bottle back in place.

“Prince Sicheng, it’s an honour to meet you. I am Doctor Kim Doyoung, but you can call me Doctor for short in the hospital and Doyoung anywhere else. I run the hospital.” Doyoung makes eye contact with Sicheng as he holds out his hand for a handshake, but his eyes are dark and his voice is dry. Sicheng is supposed to be the prince here, yet he feels so much smaller than Doyoung.

Kun just watches the two as Doyoung inspects the bumps on Sicheng’s arm while asking him questions. Doyoung’s questions are short and emotionless, while Sicheng acts like his life depends on the answers he gives.

“It’s easy, I will just make a paste and bandage your arm so it won’t get an infection. You’ll be fine in a week, Kun will bring you over to the hospital so I can check how you are doing.” Doyoung nods to Kun as he mentions him, who was inspecting the medicine bottles like a curious child.

Sicheng finds it odd but also relaxing that Doyoung doesn’t refer to neither Kun nor him as “your highness” or any other formal title.

There are a few seconds of silence as three men look at one another. Doyoung is the first one to speak up.

“Kun you can leave now, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Sicheng doesn’t understand, but it feels like Kun and Doyoung are communicating about something else with their eyes. Kun leaves with a smile on his face as he tells Sicheng to not worry.

After Kun leaves, the room is silent, and to Sicheng’s dislike, a bit cold. Doyoung takes out a succulent leaf that looks like a sword. He cuts open the leaf and scrapes of its inside into a bowl. He takes some of the translucent mucus-like substance and rubs it on Sicheng’s bumps. It feels cold but also smells very good. He then pours an oil out of a bottle labelled “Tea tree” into a bowl, mixes it with a dried yellow flower (which Doyoung explains as “Witch Hazel” when he notices Sicheng’s mouth slightly open with curiosity) and lastly he pulls out a bottle which looks like it is filled with just water, but the label reads “From Yuta” as Doyoung reads it in his head; his eyes sparkling like the water inside.

Once he mixes all of the ingredients together he puts some amount on each of the blisters on Sicheng’s arm, he feels burnt at first but he endures it. Doyoung bandages his arm carefully, making sure the paste he made does not move or leak.

This whole process is in complete silence, which stresses Sicheng with each passing second. As Doyoung packs up his bag, Sicheng tries to speak:

“Doyoung-“

“Look, your highness.”

Sicheng freezes. Doyoung might refer to him with a formal title, but this does not affect the feeling in his gut that he will get scolded by him.

“I have been exchanging letters with Kun ever since he found you passed out in the forest. It is clear that he has taken an interest in you and sees you as an important person. Now, I am not fond of strangers, especially _human_ ones. Therefore, take this speech as a warning. Kun is someone I deeply appreciate and before he is the prince of the kingdom I serve and live in, he is a very close friend of mine that has been there for me at all times. If I find out that you have upset him in any way, consider yourself dead. I understand that you are a prince and not used to being talked to like this, but this is how the real world functions and I just want to look out for him okay? I can see that Kun trusts you, and I trust him when it comes to judging people, however, this does not mean I’ll keep my eyes on you until I can trust you by myself. Do you understand your highness?”

Sicheng, with his eyes open wide at the sudden explanation he received from Doyoung, can do nothing but nod.

“Good. I’m glad we came to an agreement on that. You can put your garments back on now your highness.” Doyoung smiles at him, Sicheng can’t make out whether it’s a genuine or a fake smile.

Doyoung leaves him to dress by himself, he can hear a small chattering behind the door, assuming its Kun and Doyoung. Doyoung’s words are circling in his mind. _An important person, taken an interest in you, Kun trusts you, consider yourself dead._

Sicheng concludes that Doyoung intimidates him.

Sicheng also exits his room, notices that Doyoung is now gone. Kun asks,

“Breakfast?”

As they walk along the corridor, the lilies surrounding the windows create paintings on the walls with their shadows.

“Doyoung told me about what he said, I apologize as he is quite cautious about every stranger he encounters. We also don’t get many humans here, Doyoung was the last one before you.” Kun explains the chattering Sicheng heard before.

“No need to apologize, he did seem worried and I understand that. What do you mean ‘Doyoung was the last one’? He told me that he hated humans?” Sicheng asks a string of questions. Now Doyoung’s little threat to him seems even more confusing.

Kun furrows his brows in confusion, both of their faces now look symmetrical.

“Did he really say that? I assume it’s because of his past.”

“What do you mean by his past?” Sicheng asks immediately. Kun puts a finger to his own lips.

“Doyoung doesn’t like to share a lot, so I should not say it for himself.” Sicheng is not satisfied by this answer, but he does not ask any further questions about it.

Breakfast –and the rest of the day- goes rather quickly, with Kun constantly asking questions about Sicheng’s life in the human world, and Sicheng repeatedly asking about every magical and interesting thing he sees from Kun’s family to how they use flowers and fireflies instead of candles.

During the week, Sicheng becomes even quieter than before and does not leave the castle; not even when Kun asks him to come along when they learn that Chenle is injured.

“Emotional support? I am certain Chenle does not even remember my name, how good of an emotional support can I even provide?” Sicheng refuses once Kun suggests that he should be there.

“It’s not for Chenle, it’s for me.” Is the only sentence Kun says with his voice all stiff as he leaves the castle to find Chenle.

At the end of the week, Kun takes him to the hospital again. Sicheng has seen this place before, but seeing it all over again still amazes him; the idea of a hospital built inside a tree is so surreal that he is still not sure if it’s a product of his imagination or not.

Doyoung takes off his bandage and everyone seems relieved that Sicheng’s rash is now gone, Doyoung realizes the downgrade in Sicheng’s mood and tries to lighten up the atmosphere with unfunny jokes and constant chuckling, but one eye roll from Kun is enough for him to understand that it’s not working.

Both Doyoung and Kun leave the examination room to let Sicheng dress. Sicheng can hear them chattering in front of the room, but the only words he can make out are _outside, sombre_ , and _worried about him_.

Sicheng exits the room once he is fully dressed, he finds Doyoung leaning against the door frame with Kun standing right next to him, and they look like they have been sharing secrets much bigger than their power. Both of them look really close and Sicheng doesn’t know what to think of it, maybe Doyoung is much more than Kun’s right-hand man?

“Sicheng, we have been talking and-“Doyoung’s sentence cuts short as Kun elbows him gently, they share a glance which seems like a whole conversation in Sicheng’s point of view.

“We have been talking and I heard you never left the castle this whole week?” Doyoung puts one hand on Sicheng’s shoulder.

Doyoung might have seemed intimidating to Sicheng at first with his threat and the way he looked at him, but Sicheng somehow feels that this is not all Doyoung holds in his slender figure. This touch on the shoulder is also a reassurance to Doyoung that he is not all threats and angry glances. He is much more than that.

“I have not. I did not feel the need to.” Sicheng’s answers are short as if he is trying to avoid the obvious.

Kun suddenly barges in, it’s clear that he has been bottling all this up since the beginning.

“But you have been so eager to know about everything the day you opened your eyes here, asking questions about even the smallest things that I would in no way notice, what happened all of a sudden? Do you not like the Forest Kingdom anymore? Have I been a bad host?”

Sicheng takes a step back as both Kun and Doyoung lean in, Sicheng feels like if he does not speak the two will open his mouth and search for answers themselves.

“I was excited to know about everything about this world, and I still am. I do like the Forest Kingdom and you have been the greatest host.”

Sicheng suddenly grabs Kun’s hands in a way of showing gratitude. Doyoung and Kun share a surprised glance. Doyoung might be smart, but he certainly did not expect this move. Sicheng leaves Kun’s hands once he understands what’s happening.

“I assume I am just homesick.”  

Doyoung’s nod is full of understanding, it’s clear that he has felt the same before, however, Kun’s face still reads confusion.

“But-“Doyoung cuts Kun’s list of questions short with putting his arm in front of him.

“I understand Sicheng perfectly. Don’t worry.” He reassures Kun, who can do nothing but nod in obedience.

Sicheng just smiles to Doyoung as a way of saying thank you, which Doyoung returns.

As they are leaving the hospital, Doyoung whispers to Sicheng,

“I understand your concern, but please do try to go out once in a while as it will do well to your mental health, and also it won’t drive _him_ insane with worry.” Doyoung does not say his name but Sicheng knows who he is talking about.

“I will do my best.” Sicheng whispers his reply. Kun doesn’t hear any of this.

Kun’s attempts at getting Sicheng out of the castle –and even his room at times- get more creative with every passing day.

“Would you mind going down to the gardens for me to pick some flowers? I need them for my new crown.”

“Why do you need a new crown? Also why can’t y-“Sicheng stops mid-sentence as he remembers what Doyoung told him.

Kun takes off his crown, this is the first time Sicheng has seen him like this while he has been walking around without a crown on his head for the whole time he has been here. Kun runs his hand through his hair, fluffing it up.

“The current one is quite old, and don’t you think change is good?” Kun shows him another one of his lovely smiles and Sicheng can do nothing but obey.

Doyoung’s letter for Kun reads “Do you think it’s a good idea to make him a crown? In a place where he is not the prince?”

Kun just writes “Well he is a prince regardless, isn’t he?” and sends it back.

Sicheng lets the road paved with grass lead him to one of the gardens, which happened to be bursting with all different types and colours of flowers. Sicheng realizes that he forgot to ask Kun anything related to the crown. How many flowers does he need? What colour? Wouldn’t all the flowers he picked wither in a matter of hours?

Sicheng decides to just collect as many flowers as he can in order for Kun to pick the prettier ones. He starts from the top and makes his way through the path as he picks all flowers in different colours. He comes across a beautiful bundle of baby’s breath, as he grabs onto it, a sharp sound of pain is heard and a hand comes along with the stem.

“What are you doing here stealing all of my artwork?” The owner of the hand exclaims, who happens to be a boy a bit younger than Sicheng, with crow-black hair and small traces of mud on his clothes and face.

“Your artwork? The prince sent me here.” Sicheng takes a step in, he isn’t afraid of some gardener boy.

The boy takes a step in too, their chests almost touching as a way of showing who the more powerful one here is.

“Well, I’m a prince too and I’m sending you _out_.”

Sicheng opens his eyes in disbelief. How can a boy that spends his day on the floor, doing dirty work like him be a prince? Kun is so _elegant_ and so proper that this seems like a joke.

Sicheng ruffles the boy’s hair, which he notices has traces of pollen and small leaves.

“Much to your surprise, I’m also a prince little boy.” This is the final blow by Sicheng. He must win this verbal battle.

The younger one’s eyes open for a second in sudden realization, then turn into crescents as he gives Sicheng a warm smile. He grabs Sicheng’s hand by surprise and shakes his hand.

“You must be Prince Sicheng. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Sorry, I have not visited you sooner, gardening and archery just keep me incredibly busy.”

Sicheng’s confused look is enough for him to introduce himself.

“I’m Prince Jeno, younger brother of Prince Kun. You can just call me Jeno since you are older than me.”

Even though their first encounter was quite uncomfortable, Sicheng can’t help but smile as Jeno’s warm smile is still lingering on his lips.

“Why did my brother send you? Do you need help with anything? Everything you need came out of my literal hands.” Jeno shows his palms to Sicheng, which are covered in scratch marks but still manage to look very pretty.

Sicheng looks at the bundle of flowers he has in his hand and explains that he is here to pick some flowers for Kun’s new crown. Jeno furrows his brows at the mention of a “new crown”, but Sicheng does not notice.

Jeno looks at the flowers Sicheng picked and sighs and grabs them from him.

“It is so obvious that you are not from this land. This is _not_ how you make an assortment.”

So Jeno and Sicheng walk through the garden once again, it takes a bit more than an hour; Jeno picking some flowers here and there, stopping occasionally while Jeno talks about certain types of flowers he likes the most. Sicheng can do nothing but observe this flower like boy being so passionate about flowers.

In the end, they have a variety of flowers in purple, lilac, and dark blue colours.

Before Sicheng leaves, Jeno grabs him by the arm.

“Wait, it needs something more.”

Jeno puts his hands together, creating a box-like shape. He breathes into his hands and once he opens them, there is a few lovely bundles of baby breaths.

“Take them and give Kun my regards and love” Jeno smiles once again, and it seems like all of the flowers in the garden turn to him as if he is the sun.

“Wouldn’t it hurt? It obviously hurt when I picked them an hour ago.” Sicheng is worried, he does not want to hurt this sweet boy, a sweet boy who happens to be Kun’s brother.

“Hold my hand down and pick the flower with the other, preferably from somewhere not close to my hand. Be gentle. That way it won’t hurt.”

Sicheng does as he is told, he tries his best but he can’t help but notice how Jeno clenches his teeth as he picks the flowers.

As Sicheng leaves, Jeno asks him to please come by and visit him whenever he can as “it tends to get lonely here”, and Sicheng thinks he actually might.

Kun’s eyes shine so brightly that the stars would be ashamed as he sees the bouquet Sicheng brings him for his crown. Sicheng conveys Jeno’s message as Kun looks through the flowers and starts weaving with incredible speed. He notices the baby breaths and smiles,

“I hope Jeno treated you well.” He says as he focuses on the crown, taking shape the more he works on it.

Sicheng can’t help but watch Kun’s hands, which look so gentle and soft, work in such swift motions.

“He is a lovely kid. I liked him.” Sicheng answers with a smile, his chin propped up on his hand as his eyes follow Kun’s movements.

The making of the crown takes noticeably longer than the amount spent in finding the flowers for it. Once it’s done, it looks magnificent. All of the colours blend in perfectly with each other, Jeno’s pick of flowers and Kun’s artistry makes the crown look like a gift from the above.

Sicheng can’t take his eyes off the crown, it looks more inviting and beautiful than any golden crown he has ever seen or wore.

“I want you to have it.”

Sicheng comes back from his thoughts as Kun offers him the crown with his two hands.

“Me?”

“Well, there isn’t any other prince without a crown is there?”

“I thought you were doing this for yourself.”

Kun just shrugs as he keeps holding the crown towards Sicheng.

“Even royals lie from time to time don’t they?”

Sicheng thinks about it. What would having a crown mean? Does this mean he would accept any royal duties he will face here? What about his other crown? Will this crown make the other one irrelevant?

“It would be much better if you spoke about what you are thinking, Sicheng.” Kun says, with a stern tone this time.

“I was just…worried about my other crown, and how this crown might change things. After all, I am currently a _nobody_ without my crown. Having a crown of your… _kind_ might change how I will be seen both in this kingdom and both in my kingdom. The thing is-“

Kun places the crown on his lap as he touches Sicheng’s arm to reassure him.

“No need to worry. You were not aware of this kingdom before you came here. The same goes for every single human kingdom, including yours. Therefore, there will be no chance of anyone else knowing that you have a different crown. If you are too worried about how this crown will change your position, you can pretend that this is a replacement for your actual crown. That way nothing will change.”

Sicheng’s stomach starts to tie knots by itself as Sicheng just nods. Doyoung’s words keep repeating in his head until suddenly he accepts the crown. Kun smiles widely and puts the crown on like an excited kid.

Somehow, Sicheng does not feel odd when the crown’s leaves and flowers hit his head. He feels nice, having something heavy and familiar on his head once again.

Maybe he will enjoy having a flower crown, just like Kun.

Sicheng goes to Jeno’s garden frequently, sometimes they just have some tea, sometimes Jeno talks on and on about different types of flowers. Sicheng likes his company regardless.

“I like you.” Jeno explains all of a sudden.

“I like you too.” Sicheng responds, playing with a plant who likes to tug at his fingers with its leaves.

“You make my brother happy, I think it’s because he is interested in your way of living, and he was feeling a bit lonely before you came, therefore I am glad you are here to keep him company and well, keep him happy. I appreciate it.”

All of the roses Jeno had grown would be ashamed if they saw how red Sicheng’s cheeks and ears are.

With every passing day, the crown sits on Sicheng’s head more comfortably, and everyone seems to get accustomed to it, even Doyoung who had the most serious eye contact dialogue with Kun once he saw Sicheng with the crown.

However, Sicheng looks at the mirror every night for an hour, the more he looks the more the flower crown resemble his old crown made out of rubies and gold.

“I need to go back.” Sicheng expresses one day at breakfast. Jeno is surprisingly with them.

Kun drops his knife to his plate loudly, while Jeno chokes on a piece of bread. The servants take Jeno out.

“I thought you did not like it there? Maybe I have assumed wrong.”

“I did not like it for certain. However, it’s my fa-“

Kun cuts him short to think out loud.

“Maybe I judged your intentions wrong, I thought you would be staying here permanently, or at least, for quite some time. Rather than just a few weeks.”

The rest of the conversation goes similarly. With Kun cutting Sicheng every few words to express his own thoughts and not listening to him at all. Sicheng slams his hand on the table.

“Can you just listen to me before you express your disappointment in me not staying?”

Kun shrinks in his chair, his eyes are even shinier than before, it might be because he is getting a bit teary.

“As much as I hated my responsibilities and ran away from them, the king and queen are still my parents, and I miss them greatly. I am not a part of this kingdom as much as I would like to, you cannot expect me to be a ‘guest’ permanently, can you? I’m so glad I met you and this wonderful universe you have here, but I do think that it is my time to leave. I loved this kingdom and I like you, Kun.”

One of the servants start coughing really loudly once Sicheng says the last bit, and one look from Kun is enough for the servant to shut up.

Kun’s cheeks are a nice rosy shade, and his eyes are burning.

“Please do write me a letter, or visit me at times.”

“I will.” Sicheng’s reply is quick as he drags his eyes away from Kun.

It’s night time, Sicheng has left the castle a few minutes ago with some of Kun’s men.

Kun couldn’t bring it to himself to accompany him, he simply does not have enough strength to watch him leave Kun again.

He enters Sicheng’s room, which has been tidied up by the maids as if no one has ever resided here before. Except for Sicheng’s flower crown which is sitting in the centre of the bed, waiting for its owner.

He picks up the crown suddenly, in a very furious manner as if he is blaming the crown itself for scaring Sicheng away. Kun is surprised at himself. This is not a behaviour he normally exerts.

He sits on the floor, leaning against the wooden frame of the bed which is engraved with different prayers.

Playing with the crown on his lap, he thinks; weaving his thoughts like the flowers he weaved for Sicheng before.

Why was he so worried about him? After all, he was only another prince, he met and befriended countless princes before; why did he feel so different? Does he being a human played a factor in his feelings? Is there a particular reason as to why he feels spring in his stomach whenever Sicheng touches him? He just wants to show the world he has been missing out to Sicheng. He has been mentally locked up for so long that it felt like Sicheng was his saviour, he was here to save him from this emptiness he felt in his chest.

Kun suddenly throws the crown with anger and his head sinks into his hands. His hands grab a fistful of his hair as tears start rolling onto his cheeks, and onto the floor.

Why didn’t he tell Sicheng what was waiting for him there? It was obvious that Sicheng was not aware of the consequences of his flight, but why didn’t he warn him? Was Kun just too nice to tell Sicheng the truth? That he would be a criminal in his own kingdom and would be executed the moment he was captured?

The door of the bedroom is closed, yet Kun’s sounds of crying can be heard by the guards outside the room. The line of gossip from the hall to the kitchen expands out into the whole kingdom, and everyone talks about the Forest Prince crying and the human prince being executed. No one goes to sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew a really long chapter (in my opinion at least)! This chapter introduces the final Forest characters, completing the set of characters living in the forest! Jeno is one of my favorite characters, maybe I have fallen in love with my own creation? I hope you liked it as much as I did writing it! 
> 
> Tell me what you think on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/satiemyway) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/satiemyway) I would appreciate it a lot!


	5. Intermission 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chenle gets injured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Intermissions! Intermissions will happen once every few chapters, their main purpose is to introduce new characters, explore every character's relationship with one another, and give more information about the world(s) every character come from! From time to time there might be some elements that relate to the plot, but I don't think there will be important plot details/spoilers (for now).

He looks in the mirror, checking that his tight dark pants are emphasizing the best assets of his body. He combs through his black hair one last time, unbuttons another one of the buttons of his shirt and walks towards the fireplace. He kneels down by the fireplace that is filled with ashes from the previous fires. What once had a bright red silhouette, now carries a tired dark grey one after so many years of use. Thanks to Kun, the dark-haired man still has some logs left over for at least a few more visits.

He lights a match, the sudden light in the dimly lit room causes him to squint his eyes, and before the heat gets too unbearable for his skin; he drops the match on top of the logs.

The fire does not turn out well as much as he wants it to be, he takes the glass bottle full of oil from the side of the fireplace, he shakes it until his arm is sore, and pours a bit onto the small fire he created.

The fire suddenly grows twice in size, the man has a smile on his face, looking at his work. The light from the fire gives a slight orange tint to his face, his cheeks warm up with the heat. He stands up and takes a few steps back as the fire keeps growing bigger and bigger. The sounds of wood crackling get louder and louder until it fills the whole room.

His smile turns into a smirk once the fire starts to resemble a silhouette.

The fire dies as a man, much taller than the dark-haired one, appears from the fire. He dusts off the ash from his arms and legs as he steps out of the fireplace. A few streaks of his brown hair is sticking to his forehead due to sweat, it is not easy travelling via fire after all.  

“I know you live underwater, but clearly it should not be this damp in here.” He says as he looks at the ceilings covered with dark green wallpaper, then to the arched windows that showcase different sea creatures swimming around.

“You do know that castles on land are too boring for me.”

The shorter one runs into the taller one’s arms as the latter lifts him up and turns him around. The smile the taller one has on his face is much warmer than the fire he came with. They give each other a small peck on the lips, however, this causes the smaller man to flinch and get off from the other one’s arms

“You’re still too hot” He complains while touching his lips as if they are severely burned. His dark pink lips contrast his fair complexion well, especially in the dark atmosphere of his room, he looks like a piece of art.  

“I missed you too, Ten.” The taller one just smiles and kisses Ten again, this time the kiss is much deeper than the small peck they shared before. It is obvious that Ten does not mind the heat anymore.

The kiss gets more intense as the taller man pushes Ten until the back of his knee hits the bed, making both of them fall down. With Ten under the taller man on the silk sheets of his bed, he feels more comfortable than ever. The sudden change in position allows Ten to enter the other’s mouth, just because he is the shorter one does not mean he has to be the submissive one.

A sudden cry of pain from the man on top breaks the kiss. He brings his hand to his lips.

“You bit my tongue!” He exclaims, it is clear that it hurt, but it does not seem to bleed.

“Sorry Johnny,” Ten smirks, still proud of what he had done. “I just can’t help myself sometimes.” Johnny smiles back, Johnny’s smile is soft and warm-hearted with pure love engraved in his eyes for the man lying below him; while Ten’s smile is mischievous and his dilated pupils are a way of showing how excited he is.

“At least you don’t have any blood in you, or else this would have turned out quite differently.” Ten continues as he flashes his fangs to Johnny one last time before he kisses him again.

One of Johnny’s hands reaches out for Ten’s throat, tracing the veins lightly as he moves his fingers towards his chest. Johnny’s lips leave Ten’s, which results in a pout on the latter’s face, however, it does not take long for Johnny to start sucking on that weak spot just on the crook of Ten’s neck. This act of Johnny’s earns a low moan from Ten, as he unconsciously lifts his hips to touch Johnny even more than he already is. Ten’s hands grab a fistful of Johnny’s hair as he leaves light bite marks along his neck and collarbone while Johnny’s hands are busy unbuttoning Ten’s shirt.

Just as Ten’s hands move toward Johnny’s waist, a loud continuous knock on the window is heard.

With the sudden guilt of being caught, Johnny immediately gets up. His hair is messy from Ten playing with it constantly, his shirt is wrinkled at places (which is again, all Ten’s work). It is safe to say that Ten is in no better condition, with his neck full of dark pink-purple marks and his lips swollen.

Ten sits up on the bed, the sheets move underneath him like the ocean waves. Both he and Johnny look at the window as he buttons his shirt.

A merman that looks a bit younger than them is at the window, trying to sound out something clearly important. His grey hair shines like silver under the water as his tail moves up and down majestically, trying to maintain his balance.

Johnny glances at Ten, which Ten just replies by just rolling his eyes and taking his hand to lead him to the shore.

* * *

 

“What happened Jungwoo? Is everything okay?” Ten asks, sitting on a rock beside the shore. Johnny is right beside him, as always, drawing swirls and unidentifiable shapes on the sand with a stick he had found along the way from Ten’s gloomy underwater chamber to the coast that has the most exquisite view of the horizon meeting with the sea.

The merman –who happens to be Jungwoo- props himself up on a rock in the lake with his tail still in the water. His eyes scan the couple in slight envy. He would be lying if he said he never thought about leaving the water, not even for a second. Nonetheless, he wouldn’t even be able to survive for a mere minute on land, water is where he belongs after all. He shakes his head to shake off the thoughts and to dry his hair, licks his plump lips and answers,

“Yuta got a letter, apparently Kun needs your help. Chenle hurt himself again I assume.” Jungwoo’s voice is soft and feminine, it reminds Ten of the waves hitting the sand.

Ten makes eye contact with Johnny,

_Do you want to come with me?_

Ten’s lips don’t move but Johnny understands the question and nods. Ten then turns to Jungwoo,

“Tell your highness to write a letter back, make sure Prince Kun lights a fire in order for us to arrive quicker.”

Jungwoo nods with a bright smile on his face, the droplets on his pale body glistens as he leans back and goes back into the water, his teal colored tail disappear as he swims deeper and deeper.

* * *

 

Chenle’s screams of agony fill the air. Some birds cry in reply, but Chenle’s voice overpowers them.

His leg is bleeding, and as much as Doyoung is trying his best to apply pressure to the wound, due to Chenle’s growth spurts the blood just keeps on flowing.

Chenle starts throwing pebbles he has found near him out of pain, while Kun starts a small fire near the other two.

The fire gets bigger and bigger, to the point where Kun is afraid that some of his precious trees will be burned, fortunately, the fire dies down, leaving two men with swollen lips standing on top of the ashes.

“Did you cut yourself again Chenle?” Ten asks as he makes his way towards the young boy. Johnny dusts of the ash on Ten’s hair with a few pats, which results in the latter showing his fangs to him in anger.

“I did not do anything!” Chenle shouts as his hands form small fists, his eyes shut in pain.

“Those stupid thorny bushes got in my way!” he continues, his eyes tearing up.

Kun furrows his brows due to Chenle’s insult on his plants, but he decides to let it go, just this once.

Ten kneels next to Doyoung, and with a slight gesture of his hand ushers him to move away. Doyoung squints his eyes at him, he clearly does not like being told what to do; he obeys anyways, he knows that Ten knows what he is doing.

Ten borrows a piece of clean cloth from Doyoung’s bag and uses it to wipe off the blood dripping from Chenle’s leg.

He then turns to Johnny and asks him to hold Chenle, which he obliges by hugging him from the back to stabilize him.

“This is going to hurt Chenle, I deeply apologize in advance.” is all Ten says before he flashes his fangs and bites Chenle’s wound.

Doyoung’s back is turned, he cannot stand the sight of this, while Kun is trying his best to keep Chenle distracted from what’s happening, talking to him about all different kinds of subjects from his favourite fruits to how the weather is today.

Chenle’s blood-curdling scream still manages to catch the attention of the forest regardless.

Thankfully, Ten is good at this, it only takes him a few seconds to suck the blood. After this, it is all up to Doyoung to stitch the wound.

“You missed a spot.” Johnny jokes with a smile as he cleans the corner of Ten’s mouth with his thumb. He takes his thumb to Ten’s mouth, which he happily takes and swirls his tongue around his finger. It is unbelievably easy for Ten to turn Johnny on, he knows every single detail about him.

A fake cough from Kun breaks the couple apart as they both look at him at the same time. One single glance of Kun towards Chenle is enough for them to get identical rosy cheeks.

Doyoung convinces the others that he can take Chenle to the hospital by himself, he feels guilty that he could not do much in this situation, after all, Chenle is still so young and he is under his responsibility as much as he is under Kun’s.

“We must get going too, your highness.” Johnny explains, his arm around Ten’s small waist.

Ten realizes the sad and slight envious look on Kun’s face, even though Johnny does not.

 “Prince Kun, are you all right?” Ten asks, he moves away from Johnny in order to break the physical bond between them; with Ten’s words Johnny realizes how down the prince looks.

“Is this about the human prince, your highness?” Johnny asks further.

Kun scratches the back of his neck as his ears turn slightly red with embarrassment. He nods as he looks down at the ground.

“I am just worried about my guest that is all. He has been hiding in his chamber for too long.” He explains the situation.

Ten and Johnny look at each other. For two people who have spent quite a considerable amount of time hiding, this problem sounds all too familiar. Before neither of them can speak, Kun ends the topic of conversation.

“He will all be well though in the end. Please do not alarm Yuta or Taeyong.”

None of them speak after Kun’s request. Kun silently gathers a few branches and lights a small fire again. Johnny steps inside, holding out his Ten to pull him inside as well. Before he takes Johnny’s hand, Ten tries his best to comfort Kun,

“We all know how much this prince means to you, your highness. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time of need.”

After saying this, Ten grabs Johnny’s hand and as the two embrace each other, the fire swallows them, sending them away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Water Kingdom characters have arrived! We now only have one kingdom which has not been introduced/talked about yet...  
> Tell me what you think on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/satiemyway) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/satiemyway) I would appreciate it a lot!


	6. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After what seems like an eternity I finally had the time to write! I am sorry that I left the last chapter on a "cliff-hanger", but I just had to :)

A well-built man with a black mask covering his face makes sure the rope is tight enough for Sicheng to not escape from the pole he is tied to. Sicheng tries his best to move his hands, but the thick material of the rope burns his skin.

Everyone, including him, is wearing black. This is his funeral as much as it is his execution after all.

Running away from your responsibilities as a royal is considered treachery on his kingdom. Well, it is not his kingdom anymore.

As much as he is the son of the ruler of this land, losing his treasured crown is considered theft, and he is judged like everyone else.

Public execution was the verdict. 

His mother places one last kiss to his forehead before the executioner comes closer with a wooden stick in his hand, tied to a cloth soaked in alcohol.

The only sounds Sicheng can hear are the constant buzzing, the beat of his own heart, and the loud sobs of his mother.

 The only movement Sicheng is capable of doing is to turn his head around,  which embarrasses him as he looks at the crowd of people gathered around; some looking at him with agony in their eyes while some clearly are just here for the big bonfire.

As the prayers come in and out of his ears, he closes his eyes and suddenly he can feel the salty taste of his tears on his lips.

His ears fill with the sound of crackling wood as the executioner sets Sicheng’s surroundings on fire.

As the fire gets bigger, his sight gets fuzzier and Sicheng feels as if he can’t sound out anything his mind has to say.

The fire gets closer and he can feel the intense heat on his legs. Sicheng’s mind is about to fall into a dream state as a pair of arms hugs him from behind.

* * *

 

What seems like an eternity passes and the pair of strong arms are still by his side, holding him tightly as if Sicheng might fall any second. He feels too weak to move a single muscle, even though he is curious to know who that is.

Sicheng suddenly feels a heatwave to his face and the person holding him suddenly pushes him out of what seems like a fire pit as a pair of soft lips kiss his forehead, just like how his mother sent him off.  

“He only has some on his legs thankfully, Prince Yuta!” A man behind him shouts as another one with purple long hair and twinkling eyes hold his ankle and astonishingly pours water out of his hands to the burn he has on his calf.

The unfamiliar setting of walls covered in black marble just adds onto the uneasiness Sicheng feels in his stomach. As he looks around –with this purple haired man called Yuta holding his leg so tight- he sees someone familiar.

Kun.

With his eyes swollen and his cheeks all red, Kun looks much more _beautiful_ than Sicheng remembers.

Their eyes lock, and Sicheng can feel the worry Kun has been in deep in his own guts.

“Kun, will you hold the other leg? I have to run water from the other one as well.” Yuta asks Kun as Kun’s soft hands wrap around his other ankle. As Sicheng is about to pull his other leg which is now free from Yuta’s firm grip, two pairs of hands grab it again. One belongs to Doyoung as he pours some type of liquid over his wound, and the other belongs to a tall man with long limbs and broad shoulders as he bandages his wound after Doyoung is done.

Once the freezing water pouring out of Yuta’s hands calms the wound on his other leg; Doyoung and the tall man mover over to that side and go over the same process again.

A slender, red-haired man enters the room as Kun and Yuta try to lift Sicheng up. He can’t feel his legs due to the wounds, therefore the red-haired man and the taller one help him walk to a chamber and sit him on the bed wrapped in golden coloured sheets as Kun, Doyoung, and Yuta just watch him with worry in their eyes.

The room they are in is similar to the one Sicheng somehow appeared in, with black marble covering the walls and a magnificent fireplace with orange and red flames erupting from it. The group of men who all look around Sicheng’s age is sitting on somewhere in the room from Kun sitting right next to Sicheng on the bed and the tallest of them all, who happens to glow from sweat sitting on the floor right next to the fire.

The only sound in the room is the footsteps of the servants from the outside. Sicheng looks around the room, which is now occupied by 6 men. He observes every one of them, and he notices how only Doyoung and the tall man with dark clothes are sitting below their level, while the others are all sitting at the same level.

The red-haired one seems older than Sicheng, he somehow exerts a loving energy towards Sicheng through his eyes. His dark red hair has gold little ornaments inside, sparkling whenever he turns his head. The taller man with some of his brown hair covering his face is sitting on the floor with his legs crossed out, playing with the laces of his shoes. The tips of his fingers are an ashy grey, possibly from the fire.

 Sicheng coughs as he realizes all 6 pairs of eyes are directly looking at him, Kun does not touch him but he can still feel the uneasiness Sicheng has just by looking at him.

“You cannot imagine how glad I am that you are here again.”

Sicheng tries his best to not look at his legs covered in bandages. Thanks to the liquid Doyoung has put, the pain is not as intense as it was before; however, the sight of his legs might make Sicheng cry.

With a sudden wave of bravery, Sicheng grabs Kun’s hand, which surprisingly has been sitting on Sicheng’s knee.

“I am glad to see you again as well, however, I do not understand how I got here. Maybe I indeed died and this is heaven and you are all a creation of God to relieve me from my terrible pain.”

From the outside, the atmosphere looks as if Kun and Sicheng are having a private discussion while the other 4 can do nothing but listen. Yuta, who is sitting on the other side of Sicheng, grabs his shoulder.

“This is neither heaven nor hell your highness. Or should I not say that anymore?” are the sentences that leave Yuta’s lips just before he receives a punch full of warning from Doyoung, who is sitting on a small iron stool near the bed. They both squint their eyes at each other, Doyoung wins the wordless argument.

The tall man sits up for a slight second as he bows his head toward Sicheng.

“I am most probably the most confusing person in this room right now to you. I am Johnny, I was the person that caught you from the fire. I indeed apologize if I gripped you too hard. Also, to answer your question: No, this is not heaven and yes, it is all real.”

Sicheng blinks his eyes a few times when he hears Johnny say _caught you from the fire_. How could he possibly catch him? Was Sicheng too dizzy to understand that someone had rushed in from the crowd and grabbed him before he could be burned completely? How come he did not look like he had been out of the fire except his fingertips?

“Were you in the crowd? I do not think I have seen you walk up to me, but that might have been because of the smoke.” Sicheng replies. This attractive man saved his life. His favour cannot be repaid.

Johnny scratches his head. It is such an ordinary practice to teleport through fire in the Fire Kingdom that no one had questioned his abilities before. He simply does not know how to form sentences to explain the rules of travel in this land. He holds one of his hands above the fire as he tries to explain:

“I was not in the crowd. Prince Taeyong ordered me to take you back from the fire. Due to the way my body was formed, I can teleport through fire. Once we saw that you were about to be burned alive, we had to act fast.”

Once his name is mentioned the dark red-haired man with big black eyes nod towards Sicheng, whispers a slight “I’m Taeyong. Very nice to meet you.” To him and returns back to his original position of sitting on top of the chest at the end of the bed with his legs swinging. “I thought Kun was the prince of this kingdom.” Sicheng mutters under his breath after smiling back to Taeyong.

“We are not in the Forest Kingdom right now Sicheng. This is the Fire Kingdom, the territory of the Prince of Fire Taeyong.” Kun’s answer clears the clouds forming in Sicheng’s mind about his whereabouts. It is understandable, these chambers are not suited for Kun’s style anyways.

“I thought you would understand that we are clearly not in Prince Kun’s castle with constant heat oozing out of the walls.” Doyoung complains with a wooden fan in his hand, trying to cool himself down.

“You’re more than welcome to stay here as your wounds heal Sicheng.” Taeyong leans towards Sicheng with a friendly smile on his face. Still, Taeyong looks too powerful and intimidating with silver rings on his fingers and his hair that resembles flames. Sicheng would much rather be at the familiar and soothing company of Kun.

Sicheng shakes his head and then turns to Kun, who is poking the fire with an iron poker.

“No thank you, as much as I would love to be a visitor, I think it is best for me to reside at Prince Kun’s castle for a while now.”

Sicheng suddenly feels few drops of water on his knee, as he looks around for the source he realizes that Yuta has been playing with a ball made out of water from his hands, sitting next to Sicheng.

“I apologize, however, how do you do _this_?”

With one swift movement of his fingers, the ball of water immediately disappears from Yuta’s hands and reappears again.

“It was a gift from my Father Sea. We have not been introduced before, but I am Yuta, Prince of the Water Kingdom.” Yuta holds out his hand as his light blue eyes look into Sicheng’s dark brown ones. Yuta’s scent reminds Sicheng of sea salt and the feeling of a constant need to sleep.

Sicheng’s mind walks through the memory of Kun’s past and how he is considered the son of nature. With Yuta mentioning Father Sea, Sicheng notices the pattern and comes to the conclusion that Taeyong must be born from fire.

Sicheng points to Taeyong and voices out his thoughts,

“If I am correct then you must have been born from fire…”

Taeyong nods his head and ruffles his own hair, the gold accessories sparkle.

“I assume my hair gave it away the moment we met.”

* * *

 

Even though Taeyong insists for all of them to stay over at the Fire Castle for dinner, Yuta manages to go to his own castle underwater while the others make their way to the Forest Castle.

In the carriage Doyoung and Kun chat about topics Sicheng has not even heard of before, therefore his brain mutes their conversation as he looks out of the window. He is thinking about them even though he does not want to. His eyes involuntarily move to his legs.

Sicheng’s sudden cry fill the carriage, even the horses get shocked for a second as the carriage stops for a while.

Kun jumps from his spot, with his arms immediately hugging Sicheng sideways to comfort him as he sobs his heart out, tears rolling down from his chin to his lap.

How could his parents have done that to him? Sicheng is their only child, yet they still asked for the most humiliating end a prince could have ever had. Being dethroned, and then being publicly executed.

Sicheng knows his mother’s sob and her last kiss on his forehead were nothing but an act to the villagers, who went home today and thought about how _brave_ and _considerate_ leaders they have.

Sicheng knows it’s not the truth. Sicheng knows that a few weeks later, the castle will be celebrating every day as their best day, and he will not be remembered; even by his own parents.

Sicheng cannot speak out these words, yet his tears make it known to Doyoung and Kun that it is a very personal matter. The two look at each other in the eye as they promise to themselves to not ask Sicheng about what happened.

Sicheng’s cries become softer and lower as they get closer to the castle as Kun holds his hand the entire ride home.

The moment after Kun’s servants bathe Sicheng and bring him to his chamber, he throws himself onto the bed, his head constantly reliving the feeling of being tied by ropes to a stick.

Just before Sicheng’s lids decide to lay down for the night, a gentle knock on the wooden door wakes him up.

Kun’s head pops up from the gap.

“I just wanted to check up on you…” Kun murmurs as he enters into the room, closing the room behind. Sicheng sits up on the bed.

“I’m all right your highness. You do not have to worry about me.”

Sicheng’s title is now gone and he is a no-one in Kun’s land while being dead on his own. He _has_ to address Kun with honorifics from now on, which will be a constant reminder as to how he ended up here. Will Kun even let Sicheng stay, after being dethroned?

Kun sits next to Sicheng on the bed.

“You know you can call me by my name.” Sicheng shakes his head and as he touches his sore knees he speaks,

“You know that I am a dethroned prince now, therefore I cannot call you by your name. Actually, will you even let me stay here? I do not have any power, therefore I am inadequate in any aspect that you were thinking about benefiting from me.”

Kun furrows his brows in disbelief to Sicheng’s words. He has tried his best to show Sicheng that he cares about _him_ and only him, not his title or his knowledge of the human world. It is obvious that his attempts do not reach to Sicheng.

“I apologize that I will sound rude but I simply did not and do not _care_ about your position. I thought my actions were clear, however, it appears that I was not clear enough. I do care about you because you are Sicheng, not Prince Sicheng. The answer to your question is yes, I will let you stay here. I would love for you to become a resident in this castle and not a visitor.”

While speaking Kun does not realize the redness forming under Sicheng’s eyes as his eyes start to get teary. After all this time, Sicheng feels as if someone does want him to be by their side. Kun makes him feel wanted, and this is a feeling Sicheng is so grateful to have.

Sicheng holds Kun’s hand. Before today, this action would have been greeted with a shock from Kun as both men tensed up due to the uneasiness of the situation. However, this time it is natural, both have a slight flush to their cheeks and necks, but their hands intertwine into each other in a way only nature can be responsible for.

A single tear drops from Sicheng’s eye to their intertwined hands.

“Thank you.” Sicheng whispers.

He continues the sentence in a voice he assumes only he can hear,

“…your highness.”

However Kun hears him, he furrows his brows one more time while squeezing Sicheng’s hand lightly. He leans in towards Sicheng until Sicheng can feel his breath on his face as he speaks.

“Sicheng, I want you to call me Kun, not _your highness_ or anything else. This is an order, not a request.”

Kun’s breath is hot against Sicheng’s face. He realizes that Kun’s lips look much softer when they are closer to him. Just as Kun is about to go back to his original position, Sicheng tightens his grip on Kun’s hand and keeps him in place.

“May I kiss you, Kun?”

Kun’s already pinkish face earns an even darker pink colour when he hears Sicheng’s question. Sicheng processes Kun’s nod as a “yes” and connects their lips.

Kun’s hand leave Sicheng’s as he touches Sicheng’s cheek, his thumb caressing his temple gently as if he is scared to break Sicheng apart. Sicheng sighs into the kiss, his eyebrows lift up with the pleasure of touching Kun’s lips with his own. Kun’s free hand finds Sicheng’s on the bed, and he intertwines their hand once more; this time they are less shy.

Their kiss is slow and innocent, with Kun leaning in every time Sicheng is afraid he had done something wrong. Kun does not break the kiss, he does not want to. Instead, he smiles into it, Sicheng copies him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new milestone in Winkun's relationship in order for people (as well as me) to remember that this is a Winkun fic!   
> Tell me what you think on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/satiemyway) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/satiemyway) I would appreciate it a lot!  
> Updates will be a bit slow for a month or so since I am in the process of applying to universities!


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